“An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body”
– Edmund Jacobson MD
The fast and demanding pace of modern life means that many of us spend a lot of time in our heads feeling stressed and worried – it’s no wonder we’ve become disconnected from the wisdom of our bodies.
This disconnect often leads us to feeling like our minds are constantly whirling, we find it hard to switch off, sleep and relax and we can get stuck in a loop of feeling tired yet wired.
The latest scientific research tells us that we can use the body itself as a tool to release habitual patterns of stress, with a somatic approach to healing anxiety.
Somatic originally comes from the Greek word for body ‘Soma’, meaning ‘the living organism in it’s wholeness’ (Haines, 2019)
A somatic based approach to healing anxiety is based on the principle that everything that has ever happened to us (and our ancestors!) is stored in the tissues and responses of our body and that to fully heal and integrate those experiences we can use the body and breath to release and find freedom.
What to expect in a yoga therapy session for stress and anxiety?
As with all Sukha sessions, it starts with you. We’ll work together to map out where you are currently and where you’d like to move towards. The time and space will be personalised to your needs and what you’d like to focus on.
Somatic therapy can involve a whole range of tools such as movement exploration, mindfulness and breathwork.
The first session is 90 mins, follow up sessions are 60 or 75 mins.
A typical anxiety support yoga session involves
- An open, warm and supportive space for you to show up exactly as you are
- Sharing tools and insights to help you understand and regulate your own unique nervous system
- Grounding and centering
- Exploring gentle soothing movement to cultivate groundedness and presence
- Breathwork
You’ll leave each session with an understanding and embodied experience of a range of tools that you can integrate into your everyday self-care toolkit.
♥ Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
“I observe Alex as someone who loves to learn, is deeply committed to her own spiritual growth and who lives in alignment with her Truest and Highest Self. Alex is creative, imaginative, joyful and brings a sense of ease and a healthy dose of playfulness into the world. With Alex’s kindness, compassion and generosity of spirit, through her knowledge of trauma, and her innate understanding of the healing benefits offered by somatic movement practices, my return to wholeness after years of substance addiction and chronic pain has been one of profound joy and empowerment. Alex’s wisdom has given me the tools to feel truly safe in my body and to trust my body and its intuition with my whole heart. Alex is a gift, and I am beyond grateful that our paths crossed.”
– Benita, VIC
